Right turn

Drive is a movie about sexy people and cars. Or maybe not cars, per se, but the experience of being in them, with sexy people. As such, it is ridiculous, but not in the way you’d expect: It’s neither all that fast nor especially furious. Oh sure, there is some grisly gun violence, and a car chase or two, and it does get rather stabby in the end. But the prevailing tone is one of affected composure.

Now, this is not a film for the Henry James crowd (if there even is such a crowd) and probably no one will see Drive because it was scripted by Hossein Amini, heretofore best known for adapting The Wings of the Dove. Certainly there is an ultraviolence-and-shallow-style crowd, and some people will see Drive because it was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, heretofore best known for making Bronson. But most people will see Drive to see Ryan Gosling drive.

Gosling’s nameless protagonist chews toothpicks and commands attention. By day, he’s a mechanic and occasional Hollywood stunt driver; by night, a freelance getaway artist. At all hours he is sexy, laconic, self-possessed and movie-hero-like. When you want to try the neat trick of using stillness to keep your movie moving, he’s the guy to call.

At one point the driver’s hapless boss and father figure, played by Bryan Cranston, says, “You put this kid behind the wheel, there’s nothing he can’t do.” And it doesn’t matter that the dialogue is dumb and meaningless because it also seems so true. Later the driver’s neighbor, played by Carey Mulligan, makes eyes at him, and he at her, and they hold the camera’s attention in a way it wants to be held. Soon enough, like some greeting card fantasy of a sensitive beefcake, he’s gently throwing her young son over his shoulder and carrying the sleepy tot to bed, in slow motion. Retro synth-pop swells up on the soundtrack and she’s done for.

Then her husband, played by Oscar Isaac, gets out of prison, and things gets a little tense. But it’s nothing a few well-built movie clichés can’t take care of. These include the One Last Job, and the Heist Gone Wrong, and they involve Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman, thugging it up and enjoying themselves. Eventually “Mad Men”’s Christina Hendricks wanders in, as if expecting not a part in a movie so much as a cross-promotional opportunity for some glossy magazine spread.

This all suits Refn, a Dane, who would like to remind us that he was born with the sort of detachedly Euro-arty sensibility that others might kill for. Especially in the most “Miami Vice”-ish moments, as Drive delves deep into its neon-lit night of the soul, you can imagine Michael Mann stoically seething with envy.

Just look how straight-facedly he lingers on his pink cursive credits; or the embroidered scorpion on the back of Gosling’s jacket; or a musical sendoff from College and Electric Youth, characterizing this deadly dreamboat driver with breathy reverie as “a real human being, and a real hero.” Totally fake, of course. But just look.

Moody times call for moody tunes. Locally stacked triple bill The Lightmare Before Christmas featuring the darkwave of Jaquardini speaks volumes to our need for something darker than the blues with the cathartic space beats of This Hollow Machine and the Brickbats’ Corey Gorey in a goth solo

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There is something about the scene of animals gathered in a manger to greet a newborn that offers a bit of relief to the anxieties of our human world. “Animals are so pure of heart,” says Chroma Projects director Deborah McLeod. “They have no political agenda. And in the manger scenes, the

Steeped in music tradition, son jarocho blends elements of African rhythms, Spanish poetry, melodies and native Mexican culture into a single genre, and members of New York City’s Radio Jarocho—master sonero Zenen Zeferino from Jáltipan, Veracruz and zapateado dancer Julia del Palacio from

When Joe Lawlor is not on the road with Dave Matthews Band’s audio crew, the accomplished guitarist is often leading his own sets influenced by funk, blues and classic rock. While it’s a joy to see Lawlor on big stages sitting in on a jam with Dave, there’s a special glow to his hometown

A sparse Christmas tree, a roundheaded kid who questions holiday spirit, a jazz soundtrack and a stirring read of the nativity story combined to make history when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” premiered in 1965. To the dismay of its creators, Charles M. Schulz and Bill Melendez, the animated TV

The first thing to know about Jay Hunter Morris, one of the world’s leading opera singers, is that he hails from Paris—not the City of Light, but the small town in Eastern Texas. His roots have been an integral part of his musical development from his upbringing in gospel to his current status

When R.U.N.T.215th was growing up in Philadelphia in the mid-1980s, he routinely stayed up late and recorded Lady B’s “ Street Beat” Power 99 FM radio show, taping it on his boom box. He’d listen to the tapes over and over—the sets were packed full of Public Enemy, MC Lyte, Audio Two and Melle

Singer-songwriter Dylan LeBlanc has everyone from Rolling Stone to Ralph Lauren featuring his music and singing his praises, but the pressure of early success (at age 19) also left a few scars. After two albums for Rough Trade, LeBlanc chose to resettle in the comfort of his hometown of Muscle

Among the finest local traditions is when the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia and UVA’s University Singers join forces for the Family Holiday Concerts conducted by Michael Slon. This year’s program includes “Carol of the Bells,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Do You

Since the release of Fruit Bats’ 2001 debut, Echolocation, music critics have stuck some pretty obscure labels on Eric D. Johnson’s four-track-recording-project-turned-full-band: “bootgazer,” “rustic pop,” “zoology rock.” But no matter what it’s called, the group’s brand of indie-folk rock has

First Fridays: December 2 Cameron Mankin derived his 14 Fallen in Daredevil #11 series from comic book images. The small etchings—jittery black lines on a chalky white ground—“have a certain doodle-like quality to them, but only if someone drew the same doodle a dozen times in the same spot,”

The best and worst attributes of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are one and the same: its ambition. The concept is a fun one—exploring J.K. Rowling’s world of wizardry and witchcraft at a different time and a location outside of Hogwarts with brand new characters—that opens up the door

For more than 40 years, Ron Thomason’s intricately woven and hilarious stories have been at the heart of the old-time, Southern gospel and bluegrass songs of Dry Branch Fire Squad. The longtime Prism Coffeehouse favorite’s keen sense of humor and small-town country wisdom, combined with skilled

The post-election climate has many looking for a magical escape, and lucky for us Mike Super is more than qualified to make things disappear. A lifelong obsession with magic has led Super to inject personality, humor and an accessibility that’s unusual in the trade. Join his fanbase of

Whether you are thankful, guided by a dark star or happy pickin’ over leftovers, a live gig awaits that’ll shake off the holiday gravy and leave you grateful for the blues. November 23: Thankful Dead featuring Bigfoot County and Mama Tried at The Jefferson Theater. November 24: DJ Sir RJ’s

In tribute to Pierre Boulez, Organized Delirium honors the French conductor, who may not be a household name, but joins a too-long list of musical pioneers who died in 2016. The 26-time Grammy Award-winner is respected for his role in the “electronic transformation of instrumental music,” as